This story is reminiscent of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s
“The Yellow Wallpaper.” In both stories, the reader can’t help but be pulled in
and diagnose the main characters’ condition. We learn that her doctor will not
take her seriously and while we sympathize with her, ultimately, we recognize
that she is insane. The question therefore that arises is what makes her so?
Answering this is easier said than done as she contradicts herself throughout
the story. She says she doesn’t tell the truth but then adds that it’s because
she doesn’t know what the truth is (par. 42). She claims to be a writer but
then says that she “was.” One thing is certain—she is a very intelligent,
educated woman. However, her doctor, like others throughout her life treats her
in a condescending manner. Her first husband, Pepe, had no patience with
her and considered her stupid (par. 60.). When she works as a substitute
teacher, the principal reminds her that she is not an expert and that therefore
her assessments of students don’t matter (par. 136). And Dr. Rhodes taps her hand
before he leaves her at the end in an act that is symbolic of his perceived
superiority.

The presence of Mexican Americans in Vietnam has gotten
relatively little attention in the U.S. Despite the fact that so many Chicanos gave
up their lives for the U.S., major publishers and commercially successful films
such as Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, Good Morning Vietnam, The Deer Hunter,
have virtually ignored their significant contributions. This story challenges the reader
to question the fate of Jesse Peña and to a certain extent make judgment on
his patriotism. If it’s true that he has gone AWOL and fighting for the wrong
side, then he is a traitor. Then again, could it be that his commitment is
questioned because of other reasons?

1)Would you be more or less likely to believe that Peňa was fighting
for the Viet Cong if he weren’t Mexican American? Why?

2)Which details about his disappearance do you think are most believable?

Other resources on war, including material for analysis of Rolando Hinojosa's
The Useless Servants, which looks at the Korean War:
Soundprint Writers on War interviewin which Hinojosa discusses the Korean
War and writing about war (12:50 mark)
PBS Video:
Interview with Rolando Hinojosa-Smith:

According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs,
research on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) began “in earnest” after the
Vietnam War, and “more than half of all Vietnam War veterans and almost half of
all female Vietnam veterans have experienced ‘clinically serious stress reaction symptoms.’” These symptoms include (among other ailments)
difficulty sleeping and flashbacks. This story provides a vivid description of
the war’s tragic consequences. Henry Kissinger (par. 20) served as Secretary of
State and Assistant to the President of National Security Affairs during the
war. Although he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973, his role in the Vietnam War
is not without controversy. The Paris Peace Talks (par. 20) were efforts to end
the war and were known at first for their failures.

1)What is the effect of the narrator’s switching back and forth between
past and present?

Abraham Rodriguez, Jr.: “The Boy Without a Flag”Although treatment of the American flag is a sensitive
issue in the U.S., readers of this story need to be aware of how Puerto Ricans
in the U.S. can sometimes be considered as being without a flag. They can
vote in elections only if they are living in the U.S. mainland. Naturally,
this presents a problem since they are considered part of the U.S. but do not have
the same benefits as all U.S. citizens. At the age in which students become
more politically and socially aware, the main character in this story is placed
in a position in which he has to take what he has learned at home from his
father and contrast it with what his teachers tell him. The irony is that his
father’s version of history is accurate. For example, he tells his son that the
CIA was involved in Chile. Such a fact would not be included in U.S. school history
books and is not considered part of the school’s curriculum. But what really
gets the narrator into trouble is that he gives his opinion on such matters.
Wrongly thinking that he is free not to salute the U.S. flag in school in
protest, he winds up upsetting his father and the school’s faculty and staff.

1)Are the facts that the narrator learns from his father part of your high
school’s curriculum? Why or why not?

2)How much do you know about Puerto Rico? Did you learn what you know
about Puerto Rico from schools in the U.S.?

3)What do you think would have happened if the father had supported the
son’s decision not to salute the flag?

4)
If your education did not provide you with much information about Latinos and/or
Puerto Ricans, did you complain to a teacher? If not, why not?

The New York City Transit Authority (also known as the MTA)
employs nearly 50,000 workers, is in charge of the operation of buses and
subways in the Metropolitan New York area and boasts “the largest subway car
fleet in the world.” Although the author’s use of humor is prevalent throughout
this story as he describes Barbosa’s express, ultimately the tale offers a
stinging social commentary. The contrasting personalities of Jesús (Chu Chu)
Barbosa and the narrator, Mendoza, stand out from the beginning. Barbosa, a
motorman at the New York City Transit Authority contrives a plan to protest what
he considers the agency’s discriminatory act of assigning a new train to someone
who has less seniority than him. Having worked hard and loyally for the NYCTA
for seventeen years, he rightly so can think of no other reason why he would be
mistreated in such a manner. He devises a plan to get revenge on his terms, and
from that point, the reader gets a sense of how different Mendoza and he are.
For example, while Mendoza, a writer, may agree that discrimination against
Puerto Rican and Latino workers might exist, he doesn’t indicate that he has
ever rebelled. Just the opposite, Mendoza had been forced to write “nothing but
lies about the people."

1)In what ways is the story about Mendoza?

2)What is your impression of Barbosa’s guests? For example, are you
surprised by their professions? Why or why not?

3)Does Barbosa have other choices regarding the way he can protest? If so,
what are they?

A sestina is a poem consisting of six six-line stanzas and
a concluding three-line stanza. Each line in each of the six stanzas ends with
the same words (said, English, closed, words, nombres, and Spanish, or a
variation of any of those words). The use of this form extends back to the
twelfth century, and not surprisingly, is rarely used today. Obviously, it’s
even rarer to publish a bilingual sestina.

1)Why do you think the author chose to write in the sestina form? Why not,
for example, in open form?

Until the end of World War II, Puerto Rico was primarily an
agrarian society. However, at around the middle of the 20th century
U.S. manufacturers began to invest heavily in Puerto Rico and changed its face
forever. Loiza is a coastal, Puerto Rican town that has maintained its rich
traditions, including festivals that celebrate the Taino Indian and African
heritage. In part the line in the poem regarding “turning Loiza into an
open-air museum” (8-9) is a criticism of the price of the involvement of U.S.
corporations in Puerto Rico. But the poem as a whole is also critical of other
practices, including the controversial laws that require the instruction of
English in Puerto Rican schools.

1)When and if companies have invested in the city or town in which you
currently live, have the lives of most people improved dramatically? Why or why
not?

2)The end of the poem literally refers to a frog’s leap, but what else
might it signify?

3)
What is your impression of
the poet’s self-description as a “loud-mouth coquí”
(1)? Why?

Author’s Notes: The title of the work
is a recognition that being Brown has shaped so many facets of my life. Growing up, I was never assigned a book by a Latino author—our experiences
weren’t documented anywhere I looked. The only time that stories about Latinos appeared
anywhere was in a negative context. For example, as a young child, my
mother was robbed, and her name appeared in the local newspaper, much to her
embarrassment. Years later,
when I earned an award for excellence in English at my baccalaureate
institution, the same newspaper wouldn’t even mention the accomplishment. In
this poem I sought to challenge readers’ expectations of the life of a Brown
Latino, especially since so many life stories about Latinos deal with crime,
drugs, and anger. As the poem notes, too many people expect me to have
little to no education and few, if any, expect me to teach English.

1)Write your own “autobrownography,” in which you use the same word over
and over again to describe something about you that has helped shape your life.

2)As the poem incorporates humor, what effect does it have?

3)Do you agree that “in higher education / if you’re brown you can lay
claim / to being the first this and that as a brown” (111-114)?

4)In what ways would the author’s experiences as described in the poem have
been different if he were a Latino with light skin and other prominent Anglo
features (e.g. light hair, blue eyes)?

U.S. Census Bureau Analysis:
“for the
first time in U.S. Census history, respondents in Census 2000 were given the
option of reporting more than one category in the question on race. Thus, for
example, individuals could report multiple racial categories, such as White and
Black, or Black and Asian, or White, Black and Asian.”

Jose B. Gonzalez: “Caribbean Fresco in New England”

Author's commentary: While New England has numerous museums that celebrate
everything from its maritime history to the Salem witch trials, it offers very
little for those of us who want to learn more about Latinos. Some people might be
surprised to hear that Connecticut cities such as Hartford, Bridgeport, Windham,
and New London and Holyoke and cities in Massachusetts such as Springfield and
Holyoke have significantly
high Puerto Rican populations, or that Central Falls in Rhode Island has had a
strong Colombian presence or that the state of Rhode Island is home to large
percentages of Guatemalans and Dominicans. This poem is a reminder of how so
many Latinos, such as myself, find it difficult to learn about our cultures in
places that ignore our history and presence.

1)
Why do you think that the presence of Latinos in New England is not so
well-known?

2)Have you visited or would you visit a museum that focuses on a particular
ethnic group? Why or why not?

When individuals such as Tiger Woods define themselves by
using multi-ethnic terms like Cablinasian, they are reaffirming their
connection with more than one culture and are following a tradition that is not
new. In the U.S., many people question the need for attaching any
self-definition to the popular term “American,” but the U.S. is such a diverse
country that using the word “American” is an oversimplification, especially
since technically all Latin Americans can be described as “American.” Here the
poet embraces the term “American,” but at the same time recognizes his Puerto
Rican ancestry. His mention of Pedro Flores, a Puerto Rican composer who
flourished in New York City in the first part of the twentieth century is a
subtle but important example of the way that Puerto Ricans and their
contributions cannot be so easily measured by being placed into either of the
two categories. As the poem indicates, being Puerto Rican means having drops of
European, Indian, Black, Spanish (367) and (in this case) U.S. blood.

1)What is the effect of having stanzas begin with the word, “AmeRícan” and
formatting the stanzas by indenting?

2)Why is it so important for the poet and others like him to define
themselves in their own terms?

3)Are you surprised that the poet is proud to call himself AmeRican? Why
or why not?

The year of the rat during the twentieth century fell on
1912 and has fallen on every 12th year after that. On one hand, this poem could
refer literally to one of those years, but on the other, it might also be using
the word “rat” to suggest the types of infestations and diseases that one
associates with a rat. The poem also mentions the of U.S. soldiers, 58,000,
which is
generally accepted as the number of U.S. soldier deaths in Vietnam.

1)If you were born in a year of turmoil, what was the cause of the turmoil
and how does that compare to the poet’s experience?

2)What is your expectation of what the U.S. will be like 38 years from
now? Do you expect things to be better or worse?

3)What is your reaction when you see a flag at half-staff? How long do you
think a flag should remain at half-staff? Why?

This poem details the price that Latino immigrant parents pay for
raising children in a language they do not speak. Naturally, at 40 years old,
it is much more difficult for the mother to learn English. In order to continue
to have a connection with her children, she has no other choice.

1)If you have ever tried learning another language, did you have the same
feelings as the mother and felt “dumb” (11)?

2)Why does the mother appear to care more about learning English?

3)Ultimately, what do you think will happen if the mother doesn’t learn
English?

This poem plays with the word “alien,” which is often used
in a negative context and is usually associated with the word, “illegal.” The
irony of the poem is that although illegal aliens are clearly marginalized in
the U.S., so are legal aliens—in this case by Mexicans and non-Mexicans alike.

This poem uses strong metaphors to make a statement about
the power to define oneself. The poet makes an important distinction between a
welder and an alchemist in order to emphasize that such power is within her
control.

1)What does the poet mean by “the capacity of heat to change the shape of
things” (41-42)?

This poem presents many facets of the experiences and
backgrounds of Puerto Ricans. The mother, Rosario, was born in the Bronx,
while her daughter Aurora was born in Puerto Rico. A “shtetl” (8) is a
small city or town, and indicates the poets’ deep Jewish roots. Within this poem,
the reader can’t help but hear the voices of the two individuals, as well as the
voices of other Puerto Ricans who have had diverse experiences yet still have
common bonds.

1)As they affirm their identities, why do these poets define themselves
in negative terms?

2)What does line 45 mean?

3)Do you consider yourself as having such a mixture of roots as the
authors? Why or why not?

Although it is hundreds of miles away from where sugarcane
grows naturally, Chicago has a population that is 25% Latino. Known for its
cold winter winds and its sprawling high-rises, it is far from the ideal
location for growing sugarcane.

While many works offer dedications to someone, this
creative, touching poem is from someone—Le Van Minh. The 15-year old boy cannot
walk, and while parts of his life may have improved in the U.S., other things
remain the same.

1)Have you ever had to rely on someone for physical help because of an
injury or handicap? If so, how difficult was it to think of the better things in
life?

A common question for Latinos is, “where are you from?”
Quite often, the assumption is that the person is from the same place as the
majority of Latinos in the area. For example, in California, all Latinos are
wrongfully assumed to be Mexican; in Miami, they’re assumed to be Cuban, and so
forth. The other common assumptions are that Latinos are recent immigrants and
that they are not from multiple areas. For Mexican Americans in the Southwest,
this question is particularly complex, since parts of Mexico became the U.S.
after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

This poem ponders the presence of Peruvians in the U.S.
Aside from movie star Benjamin Bratt, whose Peruvian heritage is a secret to
most people, the mainstream media, Hollywood, and the literary world have
ignored Peruvians altogether. Using Peru’s landscape as a contrast to the
technologically driven world of the U.S., the poet asks Peruvians, not others,
to affect change.

1)
What do you know about Peru? Where did you learn it?

2)Can you name celebrities, singers, or authors of your ethnic descent? If
not, do you feelings similar to the author’s?

3)Do you think that words will make a difference, as the poet indicates
they will? Why or why not?

Drama

José Rivera: “Cloud Tectonics”

The term Magical Realism is overused in reviews of works by
Latinos, but in the case of this play, it is appropriate. The term originated
in the 1920s and was first coined by German critic, Franz Roh to describe art
that incorporated elements of the surreal within realistic images. Although it
was popularized by Latin American writers during the 1960s, Gabriel Garcia
Marquez is often credited with broadening its appeal. This play employs
elements of Magical Realism as the situation itself is realistic. A sympathetic
man, Aníbal tries to help a pregnant woman, Celestina. But when he brings her
to her apartment, he (and the audience) can’t tell whether there is something
wrong with her or whether her behavior is part of the magical appeal of the
play. Other strange happenings, such the clock’s blinking and the time warp
that follows Celestina, add to the magic.

1)Why does Aníbal continue to be so kind to Celestina when her comments
seem so odd?

2)At what point in the play did you first notice the use of Magical Realism?

3)Of all stage directions, which do you consider most important? Why?

4)What impression of Los Angeles does the play give?

5)How does Nelson define manhood?

6)What does the play say about love?

7)Do you agree that language can be forgotten?

8)Do you think that time sometimes seems to go as fast as it does in the
play? Why or why not?